OCZ Technology Group has announced its intention to produce and validate QBM (Quad Band Memory) modules based on OCZ brand EL DDR SDRAM chips. OCZ QBM modules and validated EL DDR IC's are expected to be available in advance of VIA Technologies PT600 chipset with dual-channel DDR SDRAM and QBM support during the first half of 2003.

OCZ QBM-533 and QBM-667 modules are expected to be released in the first half of the year followed shortly by QBM-800 modules. From a technical point of view, QBM technology seems to be really promising, take a look what memory modules mentioned above can offer us:

• OCZ QBM-533 can provide 4.20GB/s peak memory bandwidth in single-channel mode and up to 8.40GB/s in dual-channel mode.
• OCZ QBM-667 offer 5.40GB/s peak memory bandwidth in single-channel mode and up to 10.80GB/s in dual-channel mode.
• OCZ QBM-800 can provide 6.40GB/s peak memory bandwidth in single-channel mode and up to 12.80GB/s in dual-channel mode.

There are a couple of important obstacles that are going to appear on the way of this technology: high prices on such memory devices and the absence of practical necessity for them in typical personal computers. Presumably limited availability of QBM products will not allow memory module makers to slash the prices on such devices.

The first QBM-supporting core-logic will be VIA PT600 that will be available in the first half of the year. Since VIA has very small market share of Intel Pentium 4-intended chipsets, it is not likely that the company will sell really a lot of its PT600-based devices. With a handful of PT600 powered mainboards on the market, the price on rather exotic QBM modules is not likely to fall, hence, only very few of hardware enthusiasts will buy such solutions. Even though one QBM-800 module can offer us 6.40GB/s of peak memory bandwidth, equal to dual-channel i875P or i865PE solution, I hardly believe that one such, say, 512MB module will cost a lot less than a pair of ordinary 256MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM modules. Will VIA PT600 mainboards cost a lot less compared to i875P or i865PE platforms? Doubtfully. Therefore, I also doubt that QBM really has a lot of prospects on the PC market, at least, unless VIA has no legal rights to sell the Pentium 4-designed chipset. As far as I know, at the moment SiS and Intel have no plans to support QBM, although SiS participates in QBM Alliance.

At this point OCZ Technology has not specified any precise availability timeframes or prices of the products.